The serene beauty of the Madrona Marsh...

The serene beauty of the Madrona Marsh Nature Preserve will be explored by trained guide Bart Tendick in a nature walk today that provides an opportunity to photograph wintering ducks and waterfowl.

The walk is one of a number of winter activities sponsored by the Friends of Madrona Marsh. Tendick will point out warblers, egrets, a hummingbird nest and dozens of other birds as he leads participants through the one-mile enclosure.

Scheduled for more than an hour, the walk “is really as long or as short as you want it to go,” said Shirley Turner, a spokeswoman for Friends of Madrona Marsh.

Recent rains, she noted, have enhanced the beauty of the 42-acre preserve. “It’s beautifully green, like an emerald island right now. And our wildflowers are blooming,” Turner said.

Then there are the frogs, though some participants are a little more adept than others at finding them.

“Children are usually the first; they spot them quicker,” Turner said. “Of course, they’re built closer to the ground.”

The walk is free and parking is available at the Interpretive Triangle on Plaza Del Amo, between Madrona and Maple avenues.

The walk provides an opportunity to come up with photo entries for an “Art in Nature” showing that Friends of Madrona Marsh is holding next weekend, March 7 and 8. The showing will also include painting, sculpture, needlework and writing displays by residents and other nature enthusiasts.

The art show and a reception will be held Saturday from 6 to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Torrance Recreation Center, 3341 Torrance Blvd. Admission is $5, with proceeds benefiting the Madrona Marsh Educational Fund.

Entries are to be submitted Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Torrance Recreation Center. For more information, call (310) 326-2774.